IRS IS Still Stonewalling And A Sad Day For My Hometown *Open Thread*

As noted in my previous post, the IRS Director, John Koskinen, appeared before the House subcommittee to answer questions about a subpoena from the House. Koskinen apparently has taken lessons from the others who have appeared before the House subcommittee, like Schulman and Lerner, in his non-answer answers.

And the House members weren’t happy about it. Following are three attempts by House members to get answers to their questions, beginning with Rep. Jim Jordan, (R-OH):

Yes – this is about the First Amendment. Preach it, Rep. Jordan! And yes, get some of the lawyers for whom WE are paying to do their JOBS and uphold this subpoena. I’m with Rep. Jordan – no more excuses!

Next up is Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and does he hammer home the latitude Director Koskinen and the IRS are taking with the subpoena issued to them:

And that seems to be the biggest problem. The IRS is limiting the scope,, deciding what they will and will not include rather than complying fully with the subpoena issued to them. That’s not going over too well with the House members, including Rep. Stephen Lynch, (D-MA). He, too, was upset about the stonewalling by the IRS (no video available, unfortunately).

Since I put up Rep. Gowdy’s questioning of Director Koskinen in my previous post, I will not re-post it here, but here is the link if you wish to see it. But as a bonus, Rep. Gowdy appeared on Greta van Susteren’s show Wednesday night to discuss this issue. It is an interesting discussion between these two attorneys, followed by a panel discussion:

I’m with them. It is not that hard to do a search and get the emails of someone. I understand about the particular piece that needs to stay confidential, but other than that, it is NOT the job of the IRS to determine what the House can, and cannot, see. They are supposed to produce the emails PERIOD. And that is what they need to do. Now.

Wednesday was a sad day for my hometown of Charlotte, NC. I still have family there. My people have been there for centuries. I have always been proud of Charlotte, proud of her beauty, proud of her history, and proud of my family’s heritage there.

And then Mayor Cannon had to sully the city’s image. Yes, Democratic Mayor, Patrick Cannon, has been arrested on corruption charges. From the Charlotte Observer:

Patrick Cannon, who rose from public housing to become mayor of North Carolina’s largest city, was arrested Wednesday by the FBI and accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes – including $20,000 in cash delivered in a briefcase last month to the mayor’s office.

Cannon, a 49-year-old Democrat who took office only four months ago, was scheduled to show up at a luxury apartment in SouthPark for yet another payoff from what he thought were businessmen needing his influence in city matters, the affidavit says.

But after arriving, Cannon learned who they really were, a source confirmed: undercover FBI agents who’d been recording their meetings over the past three years, long before he launched a campaign for mayor in 2013.

Cannon resigned as mayor Wednesday night, capping an extraordinary day that included allegations of an illicit trip to Las Vegas and payoff negotiations at the Capital Grille – the same uptown steakhouse that figured in the region’s last major political scandal. It was there that former N.C. House Speaker Jim Black of Matthews, also a Democrat, took bribes from a group of chiropractors seeking help with legislation.

I am just reeling with this news. I simply cannot believe that something of this magnitude would happen in my home town, and with good reason, as the Observer article continues:

[…]Historian Jack Claiborne, who has researched Charlotte’s mayors, said such corruption charges are unprecedented in the city’s history.

FBI agents with search warrants swept into the mayor’s office Wednesday, his home on Cumnor Lane in Ballantyne and his offices at E-Z Parking Inc. at 312 W. Trade St. They seized financial records, phones, computers and other electronic devices. They were also searching for a leather briefcase that agents say they stuffed with cash for the February visit to the mayor’s office.

If convicted on all charges, Cannon faces up to 50 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines. […]

It seems the Chicago Way is spreading across the country, and that just makes me ill. Cannon has brought shame on the Queen City, and THAT makes me angry. I am not alone in that:

Cannon and McCrory talked for about an hour Wednesday, right before Cannon went to his appointment with the agents. They talked about the ongoing airport commission saga, said McCrory, a Republican who helped Cannon’s star rise in Charlotte politics. Cannon was the longest-serving elected official in Charlotte, having joined the City Council in 1993. (He was out of office from 2005 to 2009.)

“He was very close to me and my family,” McCrory said in Raleigh. “I’m just extremely disappointed and angry.” […] (Click here to read the rest.)

Yes, it is a sad, sad day for Charlotte, NC. The corruption of Chicago Politics continues to spread across the country, and that is a sad day for all of us.

This is an Open Thread. Feel free to talk about the IRS Hearing, Mayor Cannon’s disgrace upon my hometown, or whatever else is on your minds today.

29 Responses to “IRS IS Still Stonewalling And A Sad Day For My Hometown *Open Thread*”

Wow, what’s it like to have lived in a city like that?? I wish I was joking, I’ve just become so cynical, I assume corruption is a normal part of life. Unfortunately I think many people are becoming just like me. Your outrage is actually refreshing, Rev Amy.

Speaking of corruption, I can’t believe the IRS, (also the CIA and the Obama administration,) are so openly challenging congress. You can’t just refuse to comply! Congress is our governing body, the people we’ve put in charge of over sight.

LOL, I hear you abt the cynicism, insanity (and thanks for the compliment) – but yeah, Charlotte has been a pretty stand up city so for Cannon to have brought this kind of shame on the city, ESPECIALLY being a native Charlottean, is very disappointing.

Oh, yes – I could not agree more abt the IRS, et. al,., challenging the Congress. Holder already has a contempt of Congress charge, too, and he could clearly care less. The smug look on Koskinen’s face really said it all during that hearing. (Gowdy was on this morning, too, talking abt his frustrating with the IRS and wanting this information yesterday. From what he said, they WILL be filing contempt charges against Lerner, and Koskinen needs to hurry the hell up with the info. required by the subpoena.)

When the “Chicago Way” is the way of the White House – then many in the rest of the country feel free to give their corruption free rein. Especially knowing how corrupt the DoJ and Eric Holder are and knowing that the criminally corrupt media spend little time documenting Dem corruption and spend mucho time obsessing over ever word a member of the GOP says that might be spun into something their neither said or meant.

Much as I don’t like to believe it – I DO believe that we are living in one of the most corrupt times in this country’s history.

The GOP has it’s own share of crooks but at least the media bothers to report about them.

Unfortunalately for the corrupt Dems lately it’s hard to hide a perp walk in cuffs.

Marge, I fear you are right. It truly does seem rampant these days. Heck, you have people like Charlie Rangel getting away scot-free with staggering evidence of tax fraud. Just appalling. And the list goes on and on.

Yes, the GOP has had its share of crooks, too, but what some in the media did, like CBS, was not disclose that Cannon is a Democrat. They only mentioned that Gov. McCrory is a Rep., and was friends with Cannon, so the only implication was that Cannon was also a Rep. That’s how they roll these days.

I think there is a whole lot they are trying to hide, and have been since the very beginning. This whole debacle started because Obama wanted to get re-elected. He lied, diverted, dismissed, glossed over, ignored, and lied some more to cover up the truth of Benghazi for nothing else than politics and his re-election. Of COURSE the Dems want the Reps to stop looking into what really happened there. I am sure they are scared to death that some of those CIA folks are going to talk at some point, and then the schtick is up for them…

I’m afraid you are right, mcnorman. I am slightly heartened, though, that 4 Dems, including Cannon, were charged for their crimes. That’s something at least, and a bit surprising given this Chicago Way Administration…

just watched a documentary about the WASPs of WW2. these woman ferried
every kind of military plane flown at that time. The never got any
recognition and got mostly a hard time from congress and some of the
military. the got no veteran benefits until 35 years after the war. no
formal recognition for over 60 years after the war.

the women are true feminists and many young woman of today could learn from them